Arab Autumn: Ultras seek justice for fan deaths

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Ultra culture – The 2011-12 Egyptian revolution thrust an unlikely group of young people into the country's political conscience: organized groups of soccer fans called "ultras."

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Round one – Groups of well organized soccer fans, numbering several thousand, came to prominence during the Battle of the Camels in Tahrir Square. Graffiti eulogizing the ultras covered most of the nearby walls.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Red is the color – Emboldened by their success, groups of ultras would attend and lead many of the post-Mubarak protests in Cairo against the military regime.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

V for Vendetta – The most prominent group was the Ahlawy, the ultras of Al Ahly, Egypt's biggest and most successful club.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Year zero – The Ahlawy was formed in 2007 as a way of showing better organized support for the team. But it soon became much more.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Ring of steel – Such were their numbers that security was tight. Members would be arrested and revolutionary, anti-regime chants could be heard from the stands.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

The tragedy of Port Said – Post Mubarak in 2011, soccer returned to Egypt after a brief suspension of the league. In the security vacuum violence grew. In February this year, 74 fans of Al Ahly, many of them Ahlawy members, died in Port Said after they were attacked by rival fans in the stands.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Remembering the 74 – The ultra groups claim that the deaths weren't the result of thuggery, as claimed by the authorities, but planned by the military as pay-back for their role in the revolution. The trial of over 70 people allegedly involved is ongoing.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Song for the dead – Marches were held across Egypt to honor the dead. Here a member of the Ahlawy leads marchers in song in the northern city of Alexandria. The soccer league was canceled. In their aim to achieve justice for the dead, the Ahlawy has launched a successful direct action campaign against the restart of the soccer league until the trial of those accused of the Port Said tragedy is completed.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Road to Brazil? – The lack of competitive soccer is just one of the many problems that has faced Egyptian national team coach Bob Bradley. The former coach of the U.S. men's team has been charged with taking Egypt to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Lockdown – His first competitive match was a World Cup qualifier earlier this year. Fears of violence were so high, the match was played without fans in a remote military stadium outside Alexandria.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

Egypt United – Despite the revolution and despite the team having played little or no football, Egypt won their first two World Cup qualifying matches.

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Photos:Egypt's soccer revolutionaries

The road to the final – Even more incredible has been the performance of Al Ahly in the African Champions League. Despite having no league, and having to play all their home games behind closed doors, the team has reached the two -leg final and is hoping for a seventh title overall.

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Story highlights

Al Ahly will play Esperance of Tunisia in Sunday's first leg of African Champions League final

Egyptian club has qualified despite its home league being suspended after Port Said tragedy

Al Ahly fan group -- known as ultras -- has become powerful enough to exert political pressure

Ultras are seeking justice for the 74 fans killed during stadium riot in February

Since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, Cairo is a city that has become addicted to the art of protest. But this protest wasn't like any of the others.

Outside a smart hotel in the city, several hundred well-appointed young men had gathered to express their frustrations at the new Egypt. Their livelihoods had been decimated since the revolution, they argued. And direct action was the only cure.

Except these young men were not bakers, or cab drivers, or stockbrokers, or former regime allies. They were professional soccer players, out of work and unpaid ever since 74 young fans died in a tragic incident at a match in Port Said in February and the domestic league was suspended.

In desperation they had decided to make their voices heard by blockading a hotel where players from Nigerian club Sunshine Stars were staying. It was a few hours before they were due to play Egypt's biggest and most successful soccer team Al Ahly in an African Champions League semifinal second leg.

They thought that if they could prevent the match from going ahead, Al Ahly would be disqualified and the authorities would take their plight seriously. But it didn't quite work out that way.

"I heard shots ... at first I thought it was gunshots but it was tear gas shots," recalled Nigerian soccer journalist Colin Udoh, describing how the police had tried to deal with the situation.

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Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Al-Masry fans chase Al-Ahly players during riots that erupted after the football match.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Egyptian football fans rush on to the field during the clashes.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Flares are thrown in the stadium as tension builds throughout the game.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – An Egyptian policeman intervenes as people try to separate rival football fans.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Egyptians gather outside the train station in Cairo as they wait for the arrival of people wounded at the match in Port Said.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Egyptian soldiers help a wounded football Al-Ahly fan after he arrived in Cairo on a military plane.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – An Al-Masry fan invades the pitch during the match in Port Said.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Egyptians drive past Port Said Stadium, home of Al-Masry, on February 2, 2012.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – A wounded Al-Masry fan is escorted by a medic and a friend following the clashes.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Egyptian medics wheel the body of a victim into a morgue in Cairo on February 2, 2012.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Egyptian women mourn victims of the riot at a morgue in Cairo on February 2.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Egyptian investigators inspect damage at the football stadium in Port Said on Thursday.

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Photos:Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot

Scores dead in Egypt soccer riot – Family members and mourners gather at Cairo's railway station as they receive the bodies of football fans killed during clashes between rival fans in Port Said.

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"It was terrifying."

The players failed in their quest, but not because the police had cleared a path. That job had been achieved by a new group in Egyptian society that has entered the political conscience during the country's revolutionary times. It was members of the Ahlawy, an organized group of soccer fans -- known as "Ultras" -- who support Al Ahly that managed to escort the terrified players to the match.

"We only found out during rush hour that the players were having a march," said Mohamed, a member of the Ahlawy that led a group to "free" the Sunshine Stars players.

"We contacted each other by BBM and SMS and congregated. There were fights with the players. I think one of the players had a gun. They prevented the Sunshine players from going to the game. We had to let the game go on. We cleared the way for the bus."

The Ahlawy led the players to the bus and arranged an escort to the stadium.

"It is a unique position, to see fans with that much power," said Udoh.

"When the players were coming down the fans were applauding them. On the drive to the stadium 2,000 fans were lining the road applauding us. Inside the bus they didn't understand it. They thought they were angry with them."

Al Ahly won that match and reached this weekend's final of the African Champions League. It has been an emotional, tragic season for the club, one that has encompassed revolution, riots and death. And at the center of it all has been the Ahlawy, one of the last revolutionary forces left in Egypt today.

The group was formed in 2007, in the dark before the dawn, and is led by a man named Assad. Mubarak was as strong as he had ever been, winning a decisive victory in a recent Presidential election, even though massive fraud had allegedly taken place. His son Gamal was being groomed as his successor.

Egypt felt hopeless. I had met Assad outside the KFC on Tahrir Square, long before it had become synonymous with this revolution. He had agreed to escort me to Egypt's biggest match: Al Ahly versus Zamalek, the Cairo derby.

Photos:Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods

Photos:Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods

Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods – Khaled Gamal, 18, lives in Manshiyat Nasr, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Cairo, Egypt. He joined in some of the protests last year in Tahrir Square but says he couldn't afford to miss work too often to protest.

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Photos:Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods

Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods – Two-thirds of the Cairo population live in informal shanty-towns called Ashwiyats (literally meaning "random" in Arabic). The unplanned settlements have proliferated across the city over the past three decades.

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Photos:Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods

Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods – Umm Farouk, her eye swollen nearly shut from lack of medical care, says she never saw a revolution and says the protests "only caused more problems."

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Photos:Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods

Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods – Mazes of slums cover Cairo, where some say the lack of affordable, sustainable housing is nearing a crisis point.

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Photos:Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods

Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods – With 20 million people, more than the populations of Libya, Lebanon and Jordan combined, Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the Middle East.

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Photos:Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods

Inside one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods – Khaled is studying for Egypt's state examination. It's an exam that could earn him a coveted university spot.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – An anti-Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsy protester cries on the ground as a man tries to calm him during clashes with Morsy supporters in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Friday, October 12.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – Egyptian opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsy throw a Molotov cocktail toward government supporters on Friday.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – Anti-Muslim Brotherhood and pro-government supporters clash in the worst violence over Egypt's new Islamist leader on Friday, a day after he crossed swords with the judiciary.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – Protesters and government supporters throw stones at each other during clashes on Friday.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – Protesters and government supporters throw stones at each other during clashes on Friday.

Protest turns violent in Cairo – The health ministry said at least 12 people were wounded as protesters showered each other with stones after Morsy supporters tore down a podium from which anti-Brotherhood chants were being orchestrated.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – Egyptian protesters hold a national flag as they walk past a burning bus.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – Egyptians inspect a bus that was set on fire during clashes between government supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsy.

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Photos:Photos: Protest turns violent in Cairo

Protest turns violent in Cairo – Morsy's Muslim Brotherhood movement and a coalition of secular-leaning groups held separate rallies on some of the thorniest issues facing the new democracy after last year's uprising, which ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani demonstrators beat an effigy of Florida pastor Terry Jones during a protest against an anti-Islam film in Lahore on Monday, September 24. More than 50 people have died around the world in violence linked to protests against the low-budget movie, which mocks Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, since the first demonstrations erupted on September 11. See more of CNN's best photography.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Philippine Muslims gather coins they collected from the provinces to be used to pay for filing a petition before the Philippine Supreme Court in Manila on Monday asking for local authorities to ban the controversial "Innocence of Muslims" film from being posted on the Internet. Hundreds of Muslim protesters in the Philippines called for a ban on the film before the U.S. Embassy.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A woman speaks on a megaphone prior to filing a petiion before the Philippine Supreme Court in Manila on Monday.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Muslim protesters pray in Omonia Square in central Athens, Greece, during a demonstration on Sunday. Clashes broke out as Muslims staged a demonstration in the square, to be followed by a march to the U.S. Embassy, in protest of the film.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Protesters smashed the windows of a store during a demonstration in central Athens.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Kashmiri Muslim student participates in a protest march organized by a Muslim school on Saturday, September 22, against an independently produced anti-Islam film that has ignited anger in the Muslim world.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A family in Kashmir watches as students protest on Saturday.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Protesters gather to demonstrate against a French magazine that published nude cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed outside the French Embassy in London on Friday.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani police detain a demonstrator in Lahore on Friday during a protest against the film "Innocence of Muslims."

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Pakistani demonstrator throws a tear gas shell toward riot police during a protest against an anti-Islam film in Islamabad on Friday, September 21. Angry demonstrators set fire to two movie theaters in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar as many braced for intensified protests Friday, officials said.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Malaysian Muslim demonstrators march toward the U.S. Embassy after a Friday mass prayer in Kuala Lumpur.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Protesters take part in a march in Benghazi, Libya, on Friday. The march was in support of democracy and against the Islamist militias that Washington blames for an attack on the U.S. consulate last week that killed four Americans including the ambassador.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani riot policemen hold back lawyers shouting anti-U.S. slogans as they attempt to reach the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday, September 19. More than 30 people have been killed around the world during more than a week of attacks and violent protests linked to a controversial film seen as insulting to the Prophet Mohammed.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Pakistani lawyer wraps a U.S. flag onto his shoe in Islamabad on Wednesday.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Police try to stop Pakistani lawyers crawling under a barrier as they try to reach the U.S. Embassy in the diplomatic enclave during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Islamabad on Wednesday.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Muslims shout anti-U.S. slogans during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Karachi on Wednesday. The Pakistan government has declared Friday a national holiday in honor of the Prophet Mohammed and called for peaceful protests against the film.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani police stand guard on a blocked street in front of the U.S. Consulate during a protest in Lahore on Wednesday.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani activists of the hard line Sunni party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) offer prayers near the U.S. Consulate on Wednesday in Lahore.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Lebanese army soldiers secure the area around the French ambassador's residence in Beirut on Wednesday. France has ordered special security measures around its embassies and schools because of fears of a hostile reaction to a magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, the foreign ministry said.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Hezbollah hold a picture depicting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and chant the slogan "God is Great" during a mass rally in Tyre, Lebanon, on Wednesday. Thousands of Lebanon's Hezbollah followers protested against the United States and France for a film and cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Members of Justice and Prosperous Party attend a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

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Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – An Indian Muslim student hits a burning effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama during a protest in Kolkata on Wednesday.

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Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Masked Palestinians are seen during clashes with Israeli security forces in Shuafat refugee camp, Jerusalem, on Tuesday, September 18.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Indian Muslims burn an American flag with a picture of U.S. President Barack Obama as they protest against a U.S.-made anti-Islam film on Tuesday, September 18, near the U.S. Consulate in Chennai. About 5,000 people have gathered in front of the building. Google India has already blocked access to the film, which the government has condemned as "offensive."

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Sunni Muslims march during a protest against the anti-Islam movie in Peshawar on Tuesday. Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of more than 2,000 protesters trying to reach the U.S. Consulate in northwest Pakistan.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Palestinian protesters throw stones at Israeli security forces during clashes that erupted after a demonstration against an amateur anti-Islam film in Shuafat refugee camp, Jerusalem, on Tuesday. Hundreds of Palestinians protesting against the movie clashed with Israeli border police in East Jerusalem, hurling stones and firebombs at a checkpoint, the military and reporters said.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Kashmiri Muslim demonstrators shout anti-U.S. and Israeli slogans before a clash with Indian police during a protest and one-day strike called by several religious and political organizations in Srinagar on Tuesday.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Firefighters attempt to extinguish the flames in an Indian police vehicle as protesters clash with police during a protest and in Srinagar, Kashmir, on Tuesday.

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Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Kashmiri Muslim boy jumps over a burning tire set up as a roadblock during Tuesday's demonstration Srinagar.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Kashmiri Muslims throw stones at Indian police during a protest on Tuesday in Srinagar.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah group march during a rally in southern Beirut to denounce the film mocking Islam on Monday, September 17. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who made a rare public appearance at the rally, has called for a week of protests across the country over the film, describing it as the "worst attack ever on Islam."

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Sunni Muslims burn a U.S. flag during a protest in Lahore, Pakistan, on Monday. Protests entered their second week, with demonstrators taking to the streets in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Lebanon.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Afghan riot police are reflected through a window during an anti-U.S. protest Monday in Kabul, Afghanistan. Protesters attacked police along a road leading to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A protester hits a policeman with a pole in Sydney's central business district on Saturday, September 15. Anger over an anti-Islam video, "The Innocence of Muslims," spread to Australia on Saturday, and protesters took to the streets of the country's capital.

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Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A man assists a young protester after capsicum spray was used by police near the U.S. Consulate General in central Sydney on Saturday.

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Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A policeman, injured by protesters, is assisted by colleagues in central Sydney on Saturday.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A Tunisian firefighter works inside a destroyed school building in the grounds of the American school in Tunis, Tunisia, on Saturday. Four people were killed and almost 50 injured in an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tunis the day before by protesters angry over an anti-Islam film, the health ministry said.

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Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A burned bus sits in the grounds of the American school in Tunis on Saturday.

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Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A woman collects books from a classroom in the American school in Tunis on Saturday.

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Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Muslim protesters holding shoes and brooms shout anti-U.S. slogans on Saturday during a protest against the film they consider blasphemous to Islam near the U.S. Consulate-General in Chennai, India.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami shout slogans during a protest on Saturday in Khyber Agency, Pakistan. The Pakistani parliament passed a resolution on Thursday condemning "The Innocence of Muslims" and urged the U.S. to take appropriate action.

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Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami shout slogans during a protest in Khyber Agency on Saturday.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Muslims burn a U.S. flag during a protest rally in Islamabad on Saturday. The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday issued a call to young Muslims worldwide and within the country to rise up against an anti-Islam movie.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Mourners shout slogans during the funeral of a protester who was killed two days ago during clashes with security forces at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Saturday . According to media reports, at least four people were killed when hundreds of Yemeni protesters stormed the embassy on Wednesday.

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Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Smoke billows from the burning German Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, as a policeman stands next to a man preparing to extinguish the fire caused by protesters the anti-Islam film. Around 5,000 protesters in the Sudanese capital stormed the embassies of Britain and Germany, which were torched and badly damaged.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A Sudanese protester, right, takes off his clothes to show policemen that he is unarmed during a protest in Khartoum on Friday. Two protesters were killed as security forces used tear gas against thousands of demonstrators trying to approach the U.S. mission after storming the British and German embassies.

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Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A Jordanian protester holds an Islamic book near the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Friday. Hundreds of members of Jordanian Salafi Movement gathered after Friday noon prayers in protest of a controversial anti-Islam film.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Police stand guard near protesters near the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney on Saturday, September 15.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters clash with police on a street in Sydney's central business district on Saturday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Indian policemen walk past smashed windows of the U.S. Consulate building, caused by a mob of demonstrators protesting against an anti-Islam film, in Chennai, India, on Friday, September 14.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Tunisian protesters try to storm the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A Tunisian protester holds an Al-Qaeda affiliated flag amid the smoke coming from the tear gas fired by riot police outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni riot policemen stand guard at a crossroad leading to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters burn a U.S. flag on a street leading to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday, September 14.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters shout during a demonstration near the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by riot police in Sanaa on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Jordanian protesters burn a U.S. flag near the U.S. Embassy in Amman on Friday.

Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Israeli police officers stand behind their shields during clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian protesters in a demonstration against an anti-Islam film in front of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday.

Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Pakistani soldiers hold back protesters attempting to reach the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Egyptian protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police during clashes near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A Sudanese demonstrator burns a German flag after torching the German Embassy in Khartoum on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters throw stones toward riot police during clashes along a road leading to the U.S. Embassy near Tahrir Square in Cairo on Friday, September 14.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A riot police officer shouts a warning during clashes in Cairo on Friday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters chant during a march to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Thursday, September 13. One protester was killed in clashes when Yemeni security forces dispersed hundreds of demonstrators who gathered around and inside the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A protester shouts after sustaining injuries in a confrontation with riot police who fired tear gas outside the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Thursday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters carry flags that read "There is no God but Allah, Mohammed is Allah's messenger" and chant during a protest in Tripoli, Lebanon, on Thursday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Palestinians protest the movie "Innocence of Muslims" in front of the Legislative Council in Gaza City on Thursday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Iranian demonstrators chant anti-American slogans during a demonstration on Thursday in front of the Swiss Embassy, which serves as the U.S. interests section in Iran, in Tehran.

Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Kuwaiti police stand guard as hundreds of demonstrators protest near the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City on Thursday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Arab-Israeli men wave green Islamic flags with the Muslim profession of belief: "There is no God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of God" during a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy on Thursday in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Photos:Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide

Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters throw stones at riot police during clashes near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Thursday.

Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Iraqi protesters burn Israeli and U.S. flags during a protest Thursday. The U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three others were killed during a protest outside the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters clash with riot police Thursday near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Iranians protest against a film mocking Islam near the Swiss Embassy in Tehran on Thursday. Up to 500 people chanted "Death to America!" and death to the director of the movie, which was made in the United States. The demonstration ended peacefully in two hours.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Egyptian protester throws a tear gas canister at riot police Thursday during clashes near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Police use tear gas on crowds protesting Thursday outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames Tuesday, September 11.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A vehicle and the surrounding area are engulfed in flames after it was set on fire inside the compound on Tuesday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A protester reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames Tuesday night.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters gather around a fire Thursday during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Sanaa. Yemeni forces fired warning shots to disperse the thousands of protesters approaching the main gate of the mission.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters try to break the security camera at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Thursday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptians shout slogans during a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters gather in front of the U.S. Embassy the morning after it was vandalized by protesters during a demonstration on Wednesday in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters shout outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, on Wednesday, September 12.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A group of protesters attend a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Wednesday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A demonstrator walks on a U.S. flag during a Wednesday's demonstration at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People inspect the damage at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday, the day after four people were killed.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian demonstrators continue to stake out the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Wednesday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Police confront protesters praying in front of the U.S. Embassy in Casablanca, Morocco, during a rally against the anti-Islam film on Wednesday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Moroccan women gather near the U.S. Embassy in Casablanca on Wednesday.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A Palestinian man holds a placard praising Islam's prophet Mohammed during a demonstration against the film on Wednesday in front of the United Nations headquarters in Gaza City.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Palestinian men burn the American flag during Wednesday's demonstration in Gaza City.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames inside the U.S. Consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya, late on Tuesday, September 11.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is set on fire during a protest. Armed gunmen attacked the compound on Tuesday evening, clashing with Libyan security forces before the latter withdrew as they came under heavy fire.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters destroy an American flag pulled down from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People stand around a drawing that says "Remember your black day 11 September" during the protest in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People shout and light flares in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People shout in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters pull down a U.S. flag.

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Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Thousands were angered by the controversial film.

Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Egyptian protester waves a black flag inscribed with the Muslim profession of faith -- "There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God" -- as he stands above the door of the U.S. Embassy.

Assad was young, fresh faced and passionate, with designer glasses perched on his nose. He was in his early 20s, fiercely intelligent, educated in England, and drove a BMW.

The Ahly Ultras (they would not be known as the Ahlawy for a few years yet) had only just formed but they were sure who the enemy was back then: Zamalek and their own ultra group, the UWK: the Ultras White Knights.

Assad stood on the terrace with his gang of no more than a few hundred screaming abuse at the opposition. Tens of thousands of riot police stood between the two groups, impenetrable. Plain-clothes officers randomly hauled out supporters, taking them away to be searched. It felt like martial law had been imposed.

"The two biggest political parties in Egypt are Ahly and Zamalek," Assad explained at the time.

"It's bigger than politics. It's more about escapism."

Violence had been contained to the two fan groups. There was no political edge. Instead, away from the tightly-controlled derbies, fighting flourished. Youth team matches were marred by riots.

"There's always horrible fights there," admitted Assad.

But then something began to shift. The Ahlawy's numbers grew. More people found a place to express their frustration at the suffocating regime of Mubarak. Each game became increasingly more political and anti-authoritarian.

The next time I meet Assad was 61 days after the fall of Mubarak in 2011. He and 7,000 members of the Ahlawy crowded into one end of Cairo's Military Stadium for the restart of the Egyptian football league.

Violence between politicized ultras and the police had gotten so bad that the Egyptian FA had suspended all matches, but after pleading that half the league would go bankrupt, the FA relented.

Photos:Photos: Mubarak through the years

Photos:Photos: Mubarak through the years

Mubarak through the years – Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been held since he stepped down during the country's uprising in 2011. He was convicted in 2012 on charges of inciting violence against protesters and was sentenced to life in prison. But Mubarak appealed, and a retrial was granted.

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Photos:Photos: Mubarak through the years

Mubarak through the years – Then-Vice President Mubarak, left, joins President Anwar Sadat at a military parade on October 6, 1981, the day Islamic fundamentalists from within the army assassinated Sadat. Mubarak succeeded Sadat as Egypt's president, maintaining power for nearly three decades.

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Mubarak through the years – Eight days after Sadat's assassination, Mubarak is officially sworn in as Egypt's president on October 14, 1981. Mubarak was re-elected in 1987, 1993, 1999 and 2005.

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Mubarak through the years – Mubarak poses with U.S. President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1982.

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Mubarak through the years – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher meets with Mubarak in London in 1985.

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Mubarak through the years – Diana, Princess of Wales, visits Mubarak during a trip to Egypt in 1992.

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Mubarak through the years – Mubarak and U.S. President Bill Clinton hold a joint press conference in 1995.

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Mubarak through the years – The front page of the Ethiopian Herald reports a foiled assassination attempt on Mubarak on June 27, 1995. He survived an attempt by an al Qaeda-affiliated group in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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Photos:Photos: Mubarak through the years

Mubarak through the years – Mubarak, third from left, joins President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, second from left, Jordan's King Hussein, third from right, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, second from right, in Washington in 1995. The Israeli leader and Arafat signed maps representing the redeployment of Israeli troops in the West Bank.

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Mubarak through the years – Mubarak welcomes Pope John Paul II to Egypt for a three-day visit in 2000.

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Mubarak through the years – U.S. President George W. Bush greets Mubarak at the White House in 2002 to talk about the Middle East crisis and the war in Afghanistan.

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Mubarak through the years – In 2005, Mubarak again runs for a six-year term in the country's first multiparty presidential election. He was declared the official winner with about 88% of the vote, but many considered the election to be a sham.

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Mubarak through the years – After weeks of Egyptians protesting Mubarak's 29-year reign, the president steps down from office on February 11, 2011, causing celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

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Mubarak through the years – The ousted leader lies in a medical bed inside a cage in a courtroom during his verdict hearing in Cairo on June 2, 2012. A judge sentenced Mubarak to life in prison for his role in ordering the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprisings.

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Mubarak through the years – Mubarak and his sons Gamal, left, and Alaa are seen behind the defendants' cage during their retrial at the Police Academy in Cairo. Mubarak was granted a retrial. Later, a court ordered Mubarak be freed, pending his retrial.

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Hundreds of police officers dressed head to foot in black riot gear stood looking at the crowd as the men and boys in red gleefully reminded them and their former paymasters of their position in the new post-revolutionary Egypt.

"F*** the mother of Hosni Mubarak!" they shouted at the police.

"Go **** your (former Interior) Minister, Habib al Adly!"

Ironically their opposition on the pitch that day was Al Shorta, the police club.

This show of dissent would have been ruthlessly cut down a few months previously. But now Mubarak was under arrest in a hospital bed near the Red Sea, and al Adly now languished, along with the president's sons, the former prime minister and other members of the country's elite, in the same jail where he would send the former regime's political prisoners.

"Can you imagine? What must they all must be saying to each other," Assad, now no longer wearing his glasses, shouted over the deafening sound of abuse. "You could write a film about it. The police would abuse us every day. Now it's our time."

In the four years since they began, the Ahlawy had changed from a group aping European football culture to a major thorn in the former regime's side.

"The whole concept of any independent organization didn't exist, not unions, not political parties. Nothing was organized. And then we started to organize football ultras," Assad explained.

"It was just sport then. But to them it was the youth, in big numbers -- very smart people -- who could mobilize themselves quickly. They feared us."

The Ahlawy soon grew into something more violent and anti-authoritarian. Members were arbitrarily beaten and arrested by the police. Fans were harassed by being strip-searched. Assad himself had been arrested and thrown in jail.

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Ahly's matches provided a microcosm of the heavy-handedness that the rest of the country felt on a daily basis in Mubarak's Egypt. But unlike the activists and the other opposition groups that had been quickly neutered, the ultras fought back.

"The more they tried to put pressure on us, the more we grew in cult status. The ministry and the media, they would call us a gang, as violent," he said. "It wasn't just supporting a team, you were fighting a system and the country as a whole.

"We were fighting the police, fighting the government, fighting for our rights ... The police did what they wanted. The government did what they want. And the ultras taught us to speak our mind. This was something new, a little bit of a seed that was planted four years later."

The skills that Assad and Al Ahlawy had honed during four years of fighting the police came in handy when the January 25 revolution, and the "Day of Rage" that took place three days later, saw the confrontation between the authorities -- who had decades of experience quashing dissent -- and a wholly unprepared public turn violent.

"I don't want to say we were solely responsible for bringing down Mubarak," Assad laughed. "But our role was to make people dream, letting them know if a cop hits you, you can hit them back, not just run away.

"This was a police state. Our role started earlier than the revolution. During the revolution, there was the Muslim Brotherhood, the activists and the ultras. That's it."

Later, after the match, the Ahlawy would meet at a famous old bar off Tahrir Square called Horriya -- "Freedom" -- a yellowing relic to Egypt's liberal heyday where we drank one-dollar bottles of Stella -- the local beer -- and talked about the future.

Compared to the suffocating security of the past, there were no police or army on the street. A camp of activists still occupied Tahrir Square. People argued about politics on the street. Sometime it would end in fist fights. It was flawed and chaotic. But it was free.

Then came Port Said. As Egypt limped towards presidential elections, the ultras had become increasingly prominent. Al Ahly's distinctive red flag would be seen at marches as thousands of members would turn up, driving the chants and often bringing with them red flares.

Al Ahly had won the restarted Egyptian league and had hoped to maintain that dominance when they traveled to Port Said to play Al Masr.

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What happened next shocked the world. More than 70 young men were killed when the stand the Al Ahly supporters were in was attacked by opposition fans. The Ahlawy maintained that the deaths were not simply thuggery, but planned as revenge for their role in the revolution. The authorities deny those claims.

But as the trial of those the authorities claim are responsible drags on, the Ahlawy has used direct action to halt the resumption of the league until justice has been served. The threat of violence has meant that all African Champions League matches in Egypt have been held behind closed doors.

The paralysis has, on the one hand, shown the ultras to be a powerful force, one that the authorities seem unwilling to confront. On the other it has also led to the suspension of the league, which could have long-term effects not just on Al Ahly but the national team too.

Former U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley has spoken movingly about respecting the Port Said dead and the need for justice, but he too wants the league to resume. After all, he is charged with taking Egypt to the 2014 World Cup finals -- a dream he believes could have a unifying effect on the country.

Now the focus is on the African Champions League final against Esperance of Tunisia -- the defending champions. Al Ahly's journey towards a record-extending seventh ACL title has been nothing short of incredible given the problems back home. They even managed to get caught up in civil unrest in Mali when a coup took place earlier in the tournament.

But the Ahlawy will not be in the stadium for Sunday's home leg in Alexandria, despite the authorities allowing up to 20,000 fans to attend -- the first time that has happened since Port Said. They won't attend a match until they receive justice for the Port Said dead. That doesn't mean they won't be watching and willing their team on.

"That is how we want to honor the people that died at Port Said," said Mohammed, articulating the Ahlawy's complex position of protest, boycott and support.